Have you ever gotten in bed at night and just sighed with relief that your hectic day is finally over? I’ve asked a few friends this question and they responded, “ Have I ever? That’s everyday for me!”
Cooking, cleaning, working, picking up and dropping off the kids at school or practice, studying, running errands and the list goes on and on. Most of us are very busy and that’s okay, but only if we remember to really live.
What do I mean by live? Well, if our days are crammed with rushing frantically from one thing to the next, we are most likely not enjoying all the special moments of our day. We can get so consumed with EVERYTHING we have to do that we don’t allow ourselves to just take a breath and actually experience what we are doing.
Life is precious, and we shouldn’t just be going through the motions. I know what you’re thinking, “But I have to take care of this and that. If I don’t, who will?” Yes, of course we all have to handle our business. All of our responsibilities can still be taken care of without the feeling that we are drowning or don’t have time to think. Below are a few tips I have found to be helpful to assist in making my days a bit less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. I hope these help you to do the same!
1) Don’t load up your day with more things that you can handle. Us women tend to be people pleasers and want to help everyone with everything. If you can and have free time, great! But, if you don’t, it’s okay to say you can’t commit.
2) Schedule your day. Make a to-do list each evening of the things that need to get done in order of PRIORITY. This way, you know exactly what you need to get done, and that alone may alleviate stress.
3) Multi-task where appropriate. Not all tasks make sense to do together. Sometimes that means focusing on one thing at a time. For example, you may be able to cook, do laundry and doing social media updates somewhat simultaneously, but writing and checking email together may be counterproductive.
4) Remember to take a deep breath throughout your day. If you feel yourself getting anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, stop, slow down and breathe.
5) Be aware of what is going on and make an effort to NOT just go through the motions. Experience everything you do. If you are walking the dog, enjoy the breeze, sunlight and/or just the fact that you are where you are at that moment.
It’s extremely easy to fall into a blah state of being. NO, NO, NO! You deserve to LIVE and enjoy the world! You can change your outlook on your life by just slowing down a bit and taking in all the amazing, cute and sweet things that happen ALL of the time. When you do so, your happiness will increase exponentially!
Until next time,
Love India
